Harvest House dossier: Memoirs of a mole

By William Muchayi

The sudden turn of events in the MDC-T party, culminating in the suspension of Elton Mangoma, the deputy treasurer general amid the leadership renewal debate came as no surprise according to an informed source.

This sad turn of fortunes, although regrettable, was predictable and it was a matter of when and not why the simmering bubble was to explode, engulfing senior party figures.

Indeed, although the conflict has an explanation in the alleged power struggle that pits Tsvangirai against Tendai Biti, there are fears that the opposition party is infiltrated by Zanu PF moles so as to destabilise it from within.

Whether it is by coincidence or design, there are fears within the party that Biti, Mangoma and Bennett are compromised and that their grip on the financial portfolios has given them a hidden arsenal which they use as and when needed with devastating effect.

Bennett, being the main fundraiser and face of the opposition on the global arena among donors, is viewed suspiciously by some within the party as having a hidden agenda to impose Biti as the party leader in spite of the fact that Tsvangirai’s mandate runs up to 2016.

Not only that, whether Bennett is aware that some party cadres fear that Biti and Mangoma, of late appear to be compromised in favour of Zanu PF, remains unclear but what they share in common is the desire to unseat the president and not through congress as per constitution.

In addition, there are fears as the power struggle rages on, there are powerful and sinister forces fuelling disharmony within the party. The role of non-governmental organisations including Crisis Coalition, OSISSA, USAID and others is questioned by the mole as they appear to be at the centre of the divisions.

The opposition’s reliance on donor funding, although dismissed in public, is alleged to be a double-edged sword since he who pays the piper calls the tune. In as much the opposition is eager to freely dictate their destiny, the donor community is reluctant to be out of the equation.

To prove this symbiotic relationship, the mole alleges that at the 2011 congress, it’s widely acknowledged that Biti’s fate had been sealed until a last minute intervention by one of the donors who brought in thousands of dollars on the eve of the election to overturn the secretary general’s sure defeat at the hands of professor Mukonoweshuro.

Also, it’s alleged that the remuneration of staff has been a sore point over the years at Harvest House, culminating in two commissions of inquiry being conducted whose findings were never implemented.

In as much as the mole appreciates the democratic ideals being spearheaded by Biti, Mangoma and Mudzuri in the leadership renewal debate, there are reservations raised more so within the backdrop of manipulated processes in the past of which the three are beneficiaries.

It is a known fact, the mole alleges, that Biti lost the primary elections for Harare East to Timothy Mubhawu a few years ago, but a decision was made that the secretary general was a better candidate in parliament qualitatively than the winner.

Not only that, as observed above, at the 2011 congress Biti was rescued by the donor community from a sure defeat to Mukonoweshuro and, as for Elias Mudzuri , the mole alleges, he is a beneficiary of a flawed democratic process after the mayoral election was manipulated to ensure his victory.

In the same way, Elton Mangoma participated and lost at the 2006 congress and was only rescued by the state’s persecution of Roy Bennett which then resulted in the party, through the Standing Committee, making an unconstitutional decision to create the post of deputy treasurer general.

In addition, the mole also questions Tendai Biti’s role in the amending of the party constitution with regard to term limits of office bearers. The secretary general, it is alleged, has often declared in internal meetings that he is the one who authored that amendment, and yet is inexplicably quiet when the issue crops up in the public media.

It would be helpful , the mole argues, if Biti goes public, provided he is genuine, to correct the misconception out there that term limits still exist in the MDC party constitution.

By being a participant in the amending of the party constitution with reference to term limits for office bearers, Biti, like Edson Zvobgo before him, is complicit in the subversion of democracy just like Tsvangirai – if the idea was not a product of consensus among party members.

It is naïve and at worst misleading if not arrogant for Biti to profess ignorance of his participation in the amendment of the constitution but heap all the blame on the sitting incumbent.

It is hypocrisy at its worst kind for Biti to publicly endorse Zanu PF’s victory in the Nikuved July elections and attribute it to appealing policies by the ruling party as opposed to the opposition’s JUICE.

As secretary general, Biti had/has the crucial role of positioning the party but a closer analysis of how he conducted his duties as chief administrator reveals that he has failed dismally in this role.

As chief administrator, one of his key responsibilities is formulation of party policy and manifesto, a duty, the mole alleges, he failed dismally discharge?

Can Biti clarify the position of the MDC on sanctions today? How does the secretary general reconcile the rigging narrative which he moaned about recently and the failure of MDC policies in wooing voters in the just-ended elections?

In any case, Tsvangirai was elected by the same congress that elected Mangoma and Mudzuri; they were part of the executive that endorsed all major decisions, including continued stay in the GNU despite Zanu PF’s intransigence and going for elections on a ward-based voters’ roll.

In the same way, the mole argues, the entire process culminating in the birth and life of the inclusive government was a negotiated process. It is a fact, the anonymous figure argues, that prior to the infamous afternoon tea meetings, Morgan would consult his negotiators.

If, for some reason, there is a feeling that the incumbent didn’t adhere to their advice, why have they waited until now to raise the issue let alone resign during the time?

Coming to one of Mangoma’s issues in the letter pertaining to the accumulation of wealth, the mole observes, maybe the deputy treasurer general would help in clarifying how his value has mysteriously risen since 2008.

All of a sudden, Mangoma has shares in blue chip companies and has just constructed a monstrous property in Mt Pleasant, amongst others. Not to be outdone, the mole alleges, Biti has managed to acquire a multi-million dollar mansion in Umwinsdale, all on the back of a ministerial salary! It is the height of hypocrisy, the mole argues to even talk about Morgan’s mansion in the wake of all this evidence.

Not only that, after Mangoma’s suspension, Biti hastily addressed a press conference, denouncing the move as null and void. Where is the democracy that the secretary general purports to champion when he single handedly believes that he can reverse the decision of the National Council reached at by consensus?

As if that is not enough, all of a sudden, Biti becomes the darling of the state media much to the amazement of all party cadres and as Obert Gutu observes, “When a very senior party official nicodemously addresses a press conference behind the backs of his colleagues, you know something very fishy is happening behind the scenes”.

All this drama happens behind the backdrop of revelations that Biti represents Gideon Gono in the latter’s tag of war with Munyaradzi Kereke.

Does anybody out there smell the stench, the mole asks? Not to be outdone, Mangoma appeals unsuccessfully to the High Court where he is well aware that Chinembiri Bhunu and Ben Hlatshwayo are waiting in a desperate bid to have his suspension halted.

What on earth does the High Court have to do with disciplinary matters within a political entity like the MDC? Isn’t he the same Mangoma who benefited from the botched RBZ’s farm mechanisation scheme between 2005-2007, together with more than a hundred Zanu PF chefs?

Is it true that all this commotion in the opposition is happening due to the advanced age of Mugabe and that his departure from the scene is seen, foolishly by some, as a certainty that anyone who is forwarded by the MDC will steamroll the Zanu PF candidate ?

Or, as some are speculating, is there a grand coalition in the making, one that will incorporate a reformed Zanu PF and the likes of Welshman, Makoni, Madhuku along with those deemed intellectuals in the MDC who include Biti, Mangoma, Mudzuri and Bennett, the mole queries?

Writers, like other artists in society have a duty to interpret not only the past, but the present and future for the very community to make informed decisions. Their vision should transcend that of ordinary members of society although not too far ahead to grasp what is happening behind them.

The leadership renewal debate in the opposition is not as simple as some critics would imagine but it requires sober minds and in the search for the anointed one let wisdom prevail for any mistake could be catastrophic for the opposition.

When invited for a meal by the devil, always use the longest fork and never at any moment should you leave your food behind!! Those with eyes let them hear.

William Muchayi is a pro-democracy and political analyst who can be contacted on [email protected]